Rising Houston Baptist University Basketball Star Darius Lee Killed in Harlem Father’s Day Shooting

A rising college basketball star was shot and killed and eight others were wounded in a Father’s Day shooting in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, officials said. 

Darius Lee, 21, was among nine people shot near East 139th Street and Fifth Avenue Sunday, the NYPD said.

The victims included seven men and two women, police said. The victims ranged in age between of 21 and 42, News 12 reported.

The NYPD responded to a call of shots fired about 12:40 a.m. near East 139th Street and Fifth Avenue. There, they found Lee among the nine people suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to NYC Health and Hospitals/Lincoln, where he was pronounced dead, cops said. 

Lee was the only fatality from the shooting, but he was not the intended target, police said, according to the New York Post.

A firearm was recovered on scene, police said. No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing, officials said. 

Lee, a 6-foot-6 guard from Harlem, played basketball for Houston Baptist University in Texas. He grew up in Harlem and attended St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx. He was home for summer break when he was killed.

“He was an innocent kid that was in school playing basketball,” Lee’s sister, Tiara, told the Post. “He cared about basketball. He decided to stay outside one day, and this is what happens. My brother’s gone. Great kid. He’s gone for no reason. I’ve been trying to figure it out myself.”

Lee's high school basketball coach, Chris Williams, spoke to NBC 4 New York and called the incident “beyond senseless.”

"For a kid to be home from college, wake up, workout, spend time with family and friends and have this happen to him, it's beyond a tragedy," Williams said.

Houston Baptist University paid tribute to Williams on Twitter Monday after news of his passing was released.

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